MARIBOU STATE - HALLUCINATING LOVE Vinyl LP
When Maribou State consider the new music they’ve made over the past few years, one word jumps out: togetherness. Chris Davids and Liam Ivory were propelled onto the world’s stage with their 2015 debut album Portraits, followed by 2019’s equally acclaimed Kingdom In Colour, both redefining soulful, downtempo electronica for a new generation.
Working more closely with others also helped to mine musical gold, at various recording sessions in bucolic settings around the country. Liam and Chris invited along collaborators like incredibly talented producer Jack Sibley and bassist Jonjo Williams, creating little makeshift communities wherever they went. It infused their music with a new energy. On the album’s lead single ‘Blackoak’, you can even hear an amateur choir of friends, recorded in the stairwell of an old country house during one of their stays.
Hallucinating Love has an earthy charm, echoing the countryside settings of those writing retreats. The woody soul of ‘Blackoak’ is buoyed by beautiful strings and syrupy analogue synth, or there’s the cabin-folk of ‘Rolling Stone’ and the Celtic marching drums of standout track ‘Peace Talk’, on which Holly Walker delivers a truly superb vocal performance. She returns on another highlight, ‘Otherside’, too – a joyful blast of soul-pop that evokes careening along the coastline in California. The field recordings and samples in their music – for which the duo are known – give their sound a richly layered texture, like a dusty cassette tape found in the bottom of a glovebox. And here they take it all to the next level: ‘Dance on the World’, ‘Otherside’, ‘Peace Talk’ are among their most expansive tunes yet – evidencing just their skill as songwriters. Second single ‘All I Need’ is classic Maribou, a trick-mirror of melancholy and hope, with Andreya Triana’s gorgeous vocal cushioned by a propulsive, glitchy trip-hop beat, brightly-lit guitar and ghostly omnichord. This being Maribou State, the songs are evocative and full of gorgeous details – see ‘Bloom’’s guitar line, unfurling like a flower, with drum flourishes that gently recall old-skool rave.
Crucially, the duo wanted to reflect the lineage of great British electronic music, from jungle and UK garage to IDM and trance, and celebrate its influence as well as their place in that history. “We’ve always been very hidden in the project, and revelled in the ambiguity and anonymity,” admits Liam. “But as we've gotten older, we've wanted to show who we are much more. And naturally it made sense to then point towards British dance music culture because it's something to be really proud of.” There are some left-turns too you might not expect from the pair, too. The kosmische groove of Ekos (say it echoes) stands out, and was the first song that Chris wrote for the album, sampling his father’s old Eko guitar. “It's the first time I'd sung on anything of ours that's been released,” he says.
Even during their darkest days, Maribou State found a way to challenge themselves and push themselves creatively forward. And they’re entering this new phase stronger than ever before – not just as producers but as artists too. “We’re so much more connected as a duo now,” says Liam. “We’re more grounded and resilient.”